HELLO AND WELCOME TO CONNECTTHE WORLD.Belarus sprinter Krystina Timanovskaya to leave Tokyo for Poland.POLAND HAS GRANTED AHUMANITARIAN VISA TO ABELARUSIAN ATHLETE WHO REFUSEDTO BOARD A FLIGHT TO HER HOMECOUNTRY.ATHLETE KRYSTYNA IS IN THEPOLAND EMBASSY AT THIS HOURAFTER SHE
CRITICIZED HER COACHESFOR BEING ENTERED INTO THE 4400 RELAY WITHOUT HER CONSENT.SHE REPORTEDLY ASKED FOR HELP ATTOKYO’S AIRPORT WHEN TEAMOFFICIALS TRIED TO SEND HERHOME.ON SUNDAY, THE ATHLETE TOLD AREPORTER SHE BELIEVES.
Belarus sprinter Krystina Timanovskaya Today news
SHE WILLBE PUT IN JAIL IF SHE GOES BACKTO BELARUS.WE ARE COVERING THIS STORY ONTWO CONTINENTS.NICK PATON WALSH STANDING BY INLONDON.SELINA WANG IS JOINING US FROMTOKYO FIRST UP.WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THECIRCUMSTANCES OF THIS CASE ATTHIS POINT?>> WELL, BECKY, I’M STANDINGOUTSIDE THE POLISH EMBASSY HEREIN TOKYO WHERE KRISTINATIMANOSKAYA HAS ENTERED.SHE HAS RECEIVED A HUMANITARIANVISA FROM POLAND.THE DEPUTY MINISTER SAID THEYWILL DO WHATEVER SHE CAN TOCONTINUE HER SPORTING CAREER.SHE WILL BE TRAVELING TO POLANDIN THE COMING DAYS.BECKY, SHE WAS SET TO COMPETE INTHE 200 METER HEATS ON MONDAY.SUNDAY, BELARUS TEAMREPRESENTATIVES WENT TO THEOLYMPIC VILLAGE, TOLD HER TOPACK UP HER BELONGINGS AND GOBACK TO BELARUS.SHE GOT TO THE AIRPORT IN JAPAN,APPROACHED JAPANESE POLICEOFFICERS AND SAID SHE WANTED TOSEEK POLITICAL ASYLUM AND
FEAREDGOING BACK.THIS FEAR COMES AFTER SHE SPOKEOUT AGAINST NATIONAL SPORTINGAUTHORITIES, COMPLAINING ONINSTAGRAM SHE HAD BEEN ENTEREDINTO THIS 4 X 400 RELAY, WHICHSHE HAD NOT PREPARED FOR.IT WAS WITHOUT HER CONSENT.THIS IS WHAT SHE SAID TO ABELARUS SPORT SITE.I AM AFRAID THAT I MIGHT BEJAILED IN BELARUS.I AM NOT AFRAID OF BEING FIREDOR KICKED OUT OF THE NATIONALTEAM.I’M CONCERNED ABOUT MY SAFETYAND I THINK AT THE MOMENT IT ISNOT SAFE FOR ME IN BELARUS.I DIDN’T DO
ANYTHING.BUT THEY DEPRIVED ME OF THERIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE200-METER RACE AND WANTED TOSEND ME HOME.NOW, BECKY, BELARUSIAN ATHLETESWHO CRITICIZED THE GOVERNMENTAFTER PROTESTS HAVE BEENEXCLUDED FROM OLYMPIC GAMES.LUCHLT KASHENKO HAS CRACKDOWNS.SOME ATHLETES WHO PARTICIPATEDIN THE PROTESTS HAVE BEENJAILED.LUKASHENKO HAS BEEN IN CHARGEOF THE OLYMPIC COMMITTEE INBELARUS FOR
DAYS BEFORE HIS SONTOOK OVER.IOC DOES NOT RECOGNIZE HER SONVIKTOR AND HE AND HIS SON AREBANNED FROM ATTENDING THE GAMES.BECKY?>> NICK PATON WALSH ISCONNECTING YOU WITH THE DETAILSFROM LONDON.LET’S START WITH POLAND.WHAT IS POLAND SAYING ABOUT WHATIS GOING ON?>> ESSENTIALLY POLAND, ALONGWITH THE OTHER EU STATES ISWATCHING THIS SLOW MOTION CARCRASH OF AUTHORITARIANISM ACROSSTHE BORDER
OVER THE PAST YEAR ORSO NOW.WE’VE SEEN EXTRAORDINARYBRUTALITY ON THE BEHALF OF RIOTPOLICE AGAINST ENTIRELY PEACEFULVERY YOUNG BELARUSIAN CITIZENS,ALLED BY POLICE USING BATONSAND EERIE PICTURES THEGOVERNMENT HIMSELF RELEASED OF APROTESTER DYING IN POLICECUSTODY.TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HAVELEFT THAT COUNTRY, MANY OF THEMINTO POLAND.POLAND’S POSITION ON THIS, ITHINK, IS TWO-FOLD.IT
SEES AS A MEMBER OF THEEUROPEAN UNION TO GIVE ASYLUM.NO LOVE LOST BETWEEN THEM ANDTHE LUKASHENKO REGIME ANDGOVERNMENT.THOSE LEAVING ARE THE BETTEREDUCATED, INTERNET-SAVVY,HARDWORKING BELARUSIANS WHO SEEKA MORE WESTERN-STYLE SOCIETYINSIDE BELARUS AND MAKE ASUBSTANTIAL CONTRIBUTION TOPOLAND’S ECONOMY.WE’RE SEEING THIS OF ALL THE EUNEIGHBORS OF BELARUS.BRIGHT, YOUNG
BELARUSIANSLEAVING, STARTING A LIFE FORTHEMSELVES ELSEWHERE AND TRYINGTO KEEP WHAT THEY CAN OF THEPROTEST MOVEMENT INSIDE.IT HAS BEEN SO HEAVILY HIT NOW,SO MUCH OF THE PROTESTS OF WHATYOU SEE IS ESSENTIALLY FLASHMOBS THAT BRIEFLY APPEAR, ANDPUT THEIR POE TESTS ON LINE.REAL CONCERNS OF WHAT’SHAPPENING OFF CAMERA TO PEOPLELIKE KRISTINA TIMANOVSKAYA,S WHOPLIGHT IS NOT REPORTED ON
ACROSSTHE WORLD AND HAVING ANEXCEPTIONAL BRUTAL TIME INCUSTODY.BECKY?>> HOW WILL THIS AFFECTRELATIONS BETWEEN POLAND AND THEWIDER EU AND THE COUNTRY?>> YEAH.THE STATEMENT SO FAR, AS I’MAWARE, FROM THE BELARUSIANOLYMPIC COMMITTEE MEMBERS WHOHAVE BEEN CLEAR.THEY BELIEVE MISS TIMANOVSKAYAHAD EMOTIONAL OR
PSYCHOLOGICALISSUES AND THAT’S WHY THEY TOOKHER OFF THE TEAM.FOR THOSE WHO GREW UP IN THEFORMER SOVIET UNION, THE USE OFA PSYCHOLOGICAL REASON FORSOMEONE TO FORCE SOMEONE BACK TOTHEIR COUNTRY IS COMMON FOR THESOVIET UNION.ACCORDING
TO MISS TIMANOVSKAYA,BEING FORCIBLY REPATRIATED YOUWOULD EXPECT FROM NORTH KOREA OROPPRESSIVE REGIME.THESE TACTICS HAVE BEEN USED BYBELARUS, THE PRESIDENT CALLEDTHE LAST DICTATOR IN EUROPE.RELATIONSHIP WITH POLAND NEXTDOOR OBVIOUSLY WILL DETERIORATEBECAUSE OF POLAND’S OPEN EMBRACEOF THE ATHLETE TIMANOVSKAYA.SHE WILL GET A HUMANITARIAN VISAAND LIKELY ASYLUM AND CONTINUEHER
SPORT FROM THAT COUNTRY,TOO.IT CONTINUES TO TIGHTEN THE NOOSAROUND BELARUS’ GOVERNMENTTHERE.UNDER HEAVY SANCTIONS AFTERTRYING TO GET AN INTERNATIONALBLOGGER OFF THAT PLANE.LOT OF BACKING FROM MOSCOW.THERE ARE TWO MINDS TO HOWMOSCOW FEELS ABOUT THIS.SOME ANALYSTS SAY MOSCOW ISGRATEFUL OF THE DISTRACTION NEXTDOOR IN BELARUS BECAUSE IT MAKESTHEM LOOK LIKE THE
RESPONSIBLEADULT IN THE AUTHORITARIAN ROOMAND OTHERS SAY RUSSIA COULDSIMPLY DO WITHOUT THIS SORT OFATTENTION AND THIS SORT OF CHAOSCONSTANTLY BEING FERMENTED BYTHEIR NEIGHBOR.>> KRISTINA TIMANOVSKAYA DOESNOT HAVE A REPUTATION AS ANACTIVIST OR BEING PARTICULARLYCRITICAL OF THE GOVERNMENT.THIS WAS A PERSONAL INSTAGRAMPOSTING CLEARLY OUT OFFRUSTRATION AND THEN FEAR.>> Reporter: YES, BECKY.ACCORDING TO WHAT WE KNOW ANDWHAT SHE HAS SAID, SHE POSTED
ONINSTAGRAM, SIMPLY SPEAKING OUTTHAT THIS ACTION WAS TAKEN OUTOF HER CONSENT.THE DECISION TO PUT HER IN THISRACE WAS MADE BEHIND HER BACKSHE SAID, COMPLAINING ABOUTNEGLIGENCE OF THE COACHES, NOTMAKING SOME GRAND POLITICALSTATEMENT.OF COURSE, THERE ARE OTHERSCENARIOS WHERE AT OLYMPICSATHLETES IN THE PAST HAVE TRIEDTO DEFECT AT THESE GLOBALSPORTING EVENTS.AS FAR AS WE KNOW, SHE WASSPEAKING OUT ABOUT THISPARTICULAR
